Listen to Your Heart
by Attila12
Summary: An AU story in which Orochimaru is Prince. He is living a fairly good, if not kinda boring, life. But everything changed when he suddenly found himself engaged to Tsunade. OroKabu Better than the summary makes it sound. '
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, this is my first OroKabu story, so please review and tell me whether they seem in character. Um, this is an AU set in an author created time and place and I have changed a few of the characters' ages. For example, Orochimaru is 19 and Kabuto is 16. ^^ If you have any questions, just ask. Okay?_

**_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto._**

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"Which do you like better, white camellias or red ones?"

"Hmm?" Orochimaru hummed as he turned his amber gaze away from the window he'd been looking through in order to regard the young boy who'd just spoken. The child had long, hazel hair that reached to the middle of his back and hung in his amethyst eyes a bit as well. He was wearing an olive green robe with a lavender vest. He was holding a flower in each hand. One was red and the other was white.

The older male chuckled as he ran his long, pale fingers through his own jet black hair, brushing it away from his eyes in the process. "You really like those flowers, don't you? They just came into bloom and you're already carrying them around with you," he said, amusement in his voice.

The boy smiled and nodded happily. "Uh, huh! Camellias are my favorite flower!" he said with a giggle. "I like white ones best though. Which color do you like more?"

"Well, of course you like the white ones better. You're named after the snow after all, Yuukimaru. As for me...," Orochimaru replied, pausing to think about it for a moment. "I think I like red more."

The flower loving boy's smile grew even bigger. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, his eyes flicking to look at something behind the other male. He closed his mouth and beamed happily. "Guren-san!" he called excitedly, switching both flowers over to his left hand so that his right one was free. He raised it and waved eagerly to the woman he had addressed.

Orochimaru turned around to face them both, watching as the boy ran over to the purple haired woman and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face against her a bit as well. Guren smiled after a moment and stroked the top of his head. The dark haired man smiled too, though his was a bit more of a smirk. He found this little moment quite amusing.

Guren then noticed him watching and straightened her posture, gently pulling the child's hands free of her emerald green dress. "Yuukimaru, why don't you go play outside instead of bothering Prince Orochimaru?" she suggested as she knelt down to see the kid eye to eye.

Orochimaru frowned a bit at that. _'Who said he was bothering me?'_

"Okay, Guren-san! I will," the little boy told the woman before glancing down at his hand and smiling wider. Miraculously, the flowers hadn't been crushed when he hugged her. He carefully switched the white camellia back to his right hand and lifted it up, offering it to the purple haired woman. They exchanged smiles as she accepted the delicate flower and placed it behind her ear. He then turned and gently tucked the red one behind Orochimaru's ear before running off, calling good byes to both of them as he left.

The black haired man blinked and brought a hand up to gently brush his fingers against the soft petals of the flower as he watched the child leave, laughing lightly to himself as he did so.

"I'm sorry, Prince Orochimaru. He's just a bit excitable right now. You know how much he loves flowers," Guren apologized, a slightly nervous smile gracing her face.

"It's quite alright, Guren," he replied simply. "It's not like you're completely responsible for any of his actions anyway. I know that you've formed a kind of maternal bond with the boy, but I don't think even a mother can be held accountable for the things her children do," he added, smirking as the woman's face took on a pinkish glow.

"Prince Orochimaru?" someone voiced from behind him.

"Hmm?" he hummed, turning around once again to find a boy with long, white hair that reached his shoulder blades and sea green eyes framed by red markings. He had two red dots on his forehead, one above each eyebrow, and his hair was parted down the middle by a zigzagged line. It fell to cover his ears and was adorned by two red hair clips. He was wearing a light purple, slightly baggy shirt with long sleeves and white pants. The pale skinned man gave the boy a small smile. "Yes, Kimimaro?"

The boy blinked and smiled back weakly, a light blush rising to his cheeks. "King Sarutobi wishes to speak with you, my Prince."

The black haired man nodded, chuckling a little at the boy's apparent embarrassment. "Very well. I'm sure I'll see you both later, Kimimaro, Guren," he said as he began walking in the direction of the king's throne room. As he neared the corner he turned his head to sneak a peek over his shoulder. He smiled victoriously when he saw the two sending each other glares. He shook his head and continued on, still smiling as he did so. _'Those two ammuse me to no end. Well, at least when they're not fauning over me. I like the attention, but it can be a bit much,' _he thought, his smile turning into a smirk. _'Then again, anyone with a crush is downright interesting to watch.'_

-ooo-

"I'm here," Orochimaru called as he entered the throne room. His eyes came to focus on the man he was addressing, King Sarutobi. The king had tan skin that was wrinkled with age. His shaggy white hair was mostly covered by his crown and he wore a white robe with red lining of the edges. "Now what did you want to talk about?"

Sarutobi smiled. "Oh, I just wanted to talk. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The old man's face contorted into a look of amusement. "By the way, is that a flower in your hair?"

The younger male smiled and brought his right hand up to gently brush against the silky, crimson petals of the flower behind his ear. "Yes, a red camellia to be precise. It was Yuukimaru's idea. Do you like it?"

The tan skinned man gave a few short laughs. "It looks good on you. It even matches your robe," he said before having another round of laughter.

Orochimaru glanced down at his attire, a red robe with black markings meant to resemble the tendrils of plants like morning glories. He smiled and gave a small laugh as well. "So it does."

Sarutobi began to walk towards the doorway, signaling for the younger man to follow him. His heir shrugged, but went along with it. "So, how has your day been going?" the white haired man asked as they walked down the hall.

"Pretty boring actually," Orochimaru replied simply.

"Well, it's only mid-day," the older man pointed out. "Did anything at all interesting happen today?"

"Hmm, I guess so. There was that flower thing with Yuukimaru, then Guren showed up and told him to stop bothering me. I thought it was kind of amusing that she automatically assumed I was being bothered. It's also interesting that people already address me as 'Prince'. You named me your heir just a short while ago. But it makes me feel special, so I guess it's a good thing," the dark haired man replied. _'And it gives me the power to give commands without having to do much work,'_ he added to himself, smirking at the thought.

King Sarutobi nodded, his smile still present on his face. "Speaking of Guren, what do you think of her?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at the strange question. "She's okay, but she's a bit bossy and she always acts so superior to others. Not to mention the fact that she's completely different around me. She turns into such a kiss-up. It can be suffocating at times."

The older man frowned a little. "Well, what about Karin?"

"To be honest, I think she's crazy and that she'd drug Sasuke and rape him in his sleep if she ever got the chance," he replied in a matter of fact sort of tone as he and Sarutobi began to climb the stairs.

The king flashed his heir a look of surprise, momentarily pausing on the step he was on. He regained his compuser after a second or two and continued where he'd left off. "Why do you say that?" he inquired out of sheer curiosity.

Orochimaru chuckled at the older man's shock. "She thinks out loud sometimes," he informed the other with a smirk.

Sarutobi shook his head. "Okay, what about Tayuya?"

"The pipe player? She's cool, but she can be pretty bitchy at times. Same thing with Kin," the king's heir replied before sighing. "Where exactly are you going with this?" he asked as they reached the top of the stairs.

The white haired man smiled sheepishly and walked over to one of the balconies. Orochimaru followed him out. "Are you planning on answering me sometime today?" he added in an annoyed voice as he watched the older man stare into space.

"Yes, Orochimaru," Sarutobi said with a soft laugh. "You see, I'm just trying to get you to talk about girls a little. Most guys can't shut up about them, but you've always been quiet on the subject. Are you shy or are you just not interested?"

The younger man felt his face heat up. _'Damn my pale skin,'_ he thought to himself. Any color in his face at all would show up easily.

The tan skinned male noticed and chuckled lightly. "I thought I'd never see the day you got embarrassed," he chuckled, only causing his heir's face to get even warmer.

_'It's true, I don't get embarrassed easy. But this is different. I don't understand why I've never been romantically interested with anyone. Jiraiya says I'm just a late bloomer, but I'm almost twenty years old! What's wrong with me?'_ His thoughts were interrupted by a compassionate hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw the old man standing beside him.

Sarutobi smiled kindly at him. "You don't have to talk if it makes you uncomfortable," he told the prince, gripping the younger man's shoulder lightly in an attempt to put him more at ease.

The raven haired man yanked himself free of the elder's grasp, closed his amber eyes and exhaled sharply to show his annoyance at being comforted. "No, you just took me off guard. Besides, you can't really blame me for my reaction when you consider the way Jiraiya usually is when he talks about women."

"You have a point there," the king laughed. "Well, go on."

Orochimaru bit his lip as a breeze came by, causing his jet black locks to whip around in the air for a moment before laying back down as the gust passed. _'Just think of a girl or two and talk,'_he instructed himself, licking his lips to wet them a bit. "Well, Sakura's okay when she's not being all overdramatic about Sasuke. And her habit of beating up Naruto for the idiotic things he does is pretty funny. Hinata's a nice girl, but she's way too shy. Which is kind of weird considering that she's training to be a dancer. She's pretty good too," he began, trying to think of a girl he could say more about. He smiled as something clicked in his mind. "And of course there's Tsunade," he said, laughing at himself a bit for considering one of his best friends sooner.

The older man nodded, signaling him to continue.

"Well, she's pretty funny in a sarcastic kind of way. And that gambling habit of hers is amusing as well. And she's so determined! She keeps playing despite the fact that she has the world's worst luck. She's strong in both mind and body. I've seen her hold her own in a fight against three drunk men at once, you've got to admire that in a woman. She's kind of lazy, but she's still a pretty talented medic and it's fun to watch her and Jiraiya argue," he said, doing his best to describe his friend in a positive way. "Is that enough for you, old man?" he asked, smirking as he said the other man's nickname.

Sarutobi laughed, finding the name to be humorous as well. "Yes, Orochimaru. That's plenty," he said with a smile before turning and walking back into the castle. "Thanks for putting up with me. And remember that you can talk to me anytime, okay Orochi?"

"Yes, mother," the younger man replied with a smirk.

The king laughed again, the boisterous sound echoing off the walls as he made his way back to the throne room.

Orochimaru watched him leave, keeping his gaze locked on the elder's direction. When he could no longer hear the sound of the King's laughter, he allowed a sigh to escape his throat. He turned around so that he could look out over the courtyard, supporting his weight on the sturdy railing of the balcony. He tried to distract himself from his thoughts by watching Tobi try to catch a butterfly, but one nagging thought kept echoing in his head. _'What's wrong with me?'_

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_Please, pleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASE, review and tell me what you think. ^^_


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, Kabuto makes his first appearence in this chapter. ^^ I hope you all like it... Please review and let me know if you think everyone is for the most part in character! ^^' They will be a little off due to this being an AU, but I wanted to keep their personalities as close to canon as possible. Oh, and a few ages have been changed, in case I didn't mention that last chapter. Orochimaru is 19, for example and Kabuto just turned 17. ^^ If you have any questions, just ask, okay?_

_**Dislaimer: I do not own Naruto.**_

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"Orochimaru-sama," a silver haired boy said, gaining the attention of the one he was addressing. "Jiraiya-san and Tsunade-san are here to see you."

The prince licked his fingers and turned the page of his book, which he had been reading in the shade of a tree since breakfast. He didn't want to put it down. "What do they want?" he inquired as his eyes scanned the page.

"I'm not sure, but Tsunade-san seemed quite angry," the boy replied.

Orochimaru finally lifted his eyes from the book, regarding the boy with curious amber eyes. The silver haired male was Kabuto, a medic that worked in the hospital wing of the castle as well as a servant. He was wearing a peach colored button up shirt with long sleeves and brown pants. His hair was pulled back into a pony tail and his obsidian eyes were framed by his glasses. "Oh? Why do you say that?" he inquired.

Kabuto closed his eyes and smiled. "Well, I could be wrong. It's just an assumption, after all. She grabbed me by my shirt collar and snarled at me to go get you. Then she threatened to snap my neck if I did not. And she was cursing quite a bit as well. But for all I know she might just want to know if you'd like to join her for tea and dango," he said, his smile turning into a bit of a smirk as he finished speaking. He pushed his glasses up and opened his eyes, revealing that they held a look similar to the one shown by his mouth.

The black haired man suppressed a laugh, only allowing a few light chuckles to escape his lips. "Well, I guess I'd better go see what's wrong." He picked a blade of grass and stuck it between the pages he was reading. "Would you return this to my room?" he asked the spectacled boy, closing the book and holding it out to him.

"Of course," Kabuto replied with a smile as he accepted the book. "Good luck, Orochimaru-sama. I know how Tsunade-san can be when she's mad."

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm sure it's unneeded." The pale skinned man smirked. "Besides, I'm sure you're more than capable of healing anything she could do to me."

"You think too highly of me," the medic replied simply.

"Modesty is a silly concept," Orochimaru commented as he rose to his feet. "Why would you want to waste time achieving something, only to deny it when someone takes notice?"

"It is an odd thing, my lord, but not silly. Boasting takes away from the experience, spilling all pride from the achievement until all that is left is a dried out husk of what was. Perhaps modesty is simply a way to avoid that," Kabuto replied thoughtfully.

The dark haired man blinked, turning his head to stare at the medic. "You're not like most others, Kabuto. You don't just agree with everything I say. You are more than willing to engage me in a battle of the wits, in which you seem to be my equal. It's a refreshing change of pace."

The medic smiled. "I'm glad you think so, because you'll probably be spending a lot of time with me if you keep Tsunade-san waiting any longer."

Orochimaru chuckled again. "Good point. I'd better be going. If Tsunade is as angry as you say, I'm sure I'll see you again later," he said with a light laugh as began walking back to the castle.

"Well, I better go get some more penicillin then. Goodbye for now, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto called back, heading for the main gate.

The prince paused and once again peaked over his shoulder, watching him leave. When the medic was out of sight, the black haired man continued to the castle.

-ooo-

"There you are, you son of a bitch!" Tsunade snarled as she spotted the one she was waiting for.

"It's nice to see you as well, Tsunade," he replied calmly. He noted that Kabuto had been correct, the woman was clearly in a fit of rage. Even Jiraiya seemed upset about something. "I assume you aren't here for a friendly chat, so what do I owe this little visit to?"

"I think you know why we're here, you serpent bastard! Don't play dumb!" she growled, referring to her friend's liking of snakes as well as his snake-like qualities.

Orochimaru sighed. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Jiraiya. "Please, calm down. I'm not exactly happy right now either, but we should at least talk it over before you try to gut him," he told her in a soothing tone.

Tsunade took a deep breath to try and relax, but it did little to help cool her temper. "Okay, we'll give him the benefit of the doubt," she muttered through clenched teeth.

The dark haired man groaned, obviously annoyed at being kept in the dark. "Would someone please explained what this is about?"

The blond haired female groaned as well and brought a hand up to message her pounding temple. "Alright then. My parents informed me this morning that I had been arranged to get married."

The pale skilled man raised an eyebrow. "How does that have anything to do with me? And what's the problem anyway? You said so yourself that you were in love with Dan."

Tsunade's chocolate brown eyes narrowed. "That's the problem. I _am_ in love with Dan, but apparently I'm engaged to you!"

"What?!" the prince exclaimed, his golden eyes widening in shock. "How can that be?! I don't want to marry you, or anyone else for that matter!"

"And I certainly don't want to marry you either, but my parents arranged it behind my back and it seems that something similar is true for you as well. I can't believe them, those pricks!" she fumed, punching a pillar in rage as she finished. She didn't seem to care at all about any pain this may have caused. Burnt out, she slumped down onto the floor. "I really need a drink."

By now, Orochimaru was rubbing one of his own pounding temples, the shocking news having given him a terrible headache.

Jiraiya groaned. "Well Orochimaru, we're gonna go get some sake. I think Tsunade here could really use it right about now. Why don't you go find out who helped arrange this. Maybe you can threaten them to let you guys out of it or something."

The raven haired man nodded to his friend. "Yes, that seems like a good idea," he replied as his eyes narrowed dangerously. "I just hope I can control any urges to murder whoever's responsible for this."

-ooo-

"Oh, hello Orochimaru!" Sarutobi called with a smile. "Do you need something or are you just here to talk?" The old man's smile turned into a frown when he noticed the furious look on his heir's face.

The younger man's eyes narrowed, becoming fiery yellow daggers. "Oh, it's nothing much. Just a little question is all," he said sarcastically.

The king smiled nervously. "And what would that question be?"

"How about, why the hell am I engaged to Tsunade?!" the dark haired man snarled venomously, the volume of his voice rising to that of a near shout.

Sarutobi sighed. "I told them you wouldn't like it."

"Told who?" his heir demanded to know. "What the hell is going on?!"

The king groaned. "Okay, this may take a while to explain. Please, just stay calm until I am finished. I that alright?"

Orochimaru nodded stiffly.

The older man took a deep breath. "Well, my advisers brought an important issue to my mind last week, shortly after we had that little chat. You see, before a king can take the throne here in Konoto, he must take a bride. It's an old tradition that the people will not let be broken. 'A king must have a queen,' they say."

"You don't have a queen, the pale skinned man pointed out, his voice still bitter despite his attempts to cool his temper.

"Yes, but my wife passed away," Sarutobi replied. "Anyway, the advisers insisted that it was important that marriage arrangements be made immediately. They were afraid that if I died before then that things would get too chaotic and that we would be a target to more aggressive kingdoms. They pressed me, asking who would be a good choice. I told them that the only girl you seemed to have a lot of good feelings for was Tsunade, but I insisted that we should wait and consult you both first. They argued that you'd probably put up a fight and that you'd both warm up to the idea eventually if they arranged it behind your backs." The older man sighed. "I'm sorry Orochi-kun. I told them to talk to both of you first, but it looks like they did otherwise."

"But you're the king! Couldn't you have them killed or thrown in prison for disobeying your orders like that?" the black haired man asked in an exasperated voice.

"Technically, I probably could if it were something very serious. But they are my advisers and are therefore almost as powerful as I am. It was a three against one vote and they did have a good point," the old man replied, his tone showing his sadness for the distress he had helped cause his heir. "Besides, they are my friends and I don't think that something like this calls for death or imprisonment. Arranged marriages happen all the time. It's not that serious."

"It is to me!" the younger man practically shouted.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble this is causing you, but I'm sure you'll both warm up to it eventually. She'll be a queen! Besides, you're already good friends, so it should be a lot easier to marry her than a stranger," Sarubobi replied, trying to help his heir see the bright side of his situation.

"But she already loves Dan!" the pale skinned man shouted, his voice growing a bit hysterical. He realized this and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Is there any way to get out of this?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid it's not easy to do so," the king replied. "And you'd have to choose someone else to take her place as future queen. From what I've gathered, that's probably not going to happen anytime soon."

Orochimaru closed his amber eyes and gave a depressed sigh, his posture slumping a little out of depression. He mentally cursed the advisers for getting him into his current situation before reopening his eyes, keeping them half-lidded as he stared into space, his thoughts racing for an answer to his distressing problem.

The tan skinned man's eyes softened in compassion. "Look, it's probably not as bad as your making it-" He silenced himself when his heir raised a hand, signaling for him to be quiet.

"I need to be alone right now," Orochimaru muttered to him before turning and slowly leaving the room.

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_Please, review and tell me if you liked it! ^^'_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello! I hope you enjoy this chapter as it's where the action really gets started! It also happens to be my favorite chapter so far. ^^' I'm sorry if Orochimaru seems a bit OOC, but like I said, this is an AU and he isn't as hardened as he usually is. Besides, he's not used to guilt. ;P Anyway, please enjoy the chapter! :D_

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"Isn't today a wonderful day?" Tobi asked in a giddy voice, his body quivering with excitement. He and Orochimaru were outside the castle, near the garden where Tobi helped Zetsu with tending the plants. He had been doing so when he had spotted the prince walking by and decided to take a break to chat with him.

The pale skinned man glanced up. The sky was covered by large, grey clouds and the air around him was thick with humidity. He brought his gaze back down to settle on the orange mask wearing man in from of him. "That would depend on your definition of 'wonderful'," he replied sarcastically.

The childish man cocked his head to the side, swinging his arms back and forth due to his inability to hold still. "But 'wonderful' is too wonderful to define!" he said cheerfully. "I love weather like this! It means that it's going to rain and that there will be lots of mud puddles to play in!" He paused, clasping his hands together behind his back and lightly swaying his body back and forth as he grew slightly calmer. "Plus, Zetsu-san will be happy because his plants will get plenty to drink. Seeing him happy makes me happy too."

"Well that's all nice, but I just don't feel the same way. To me, this weather is simply depressing, which doesn't help my mood at all," Orochimaru replied, giving him a small smile. He'd been in a bad mood since his friends visited four days ago and told him about the engagement.

"Oh, that's too bad," Tobi said sadly, his posture slumping a little. After a moment he straightened right back up. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better, Prince Orochimaru?" he asked, his voice cheerful once again.

The golden eyed man hummed. "Well, you could take off that mask and show me what you're hiding under there."

"Uh, I'm sorry, but I can't do that," the masked man replied, rubbing the back of his neck in a fidgety manner.

"Why not?" the prince inquired, his curiosity growing.

"Well, technically, it's not that I can't. I mean, it's not glued to my face or anything. You could order me to remove it and I'd have to obey. It's more that I really don't want to," Tobi replied as he began to pace back and forth, his hands flying around in motions that emphasized what he was trying to say.

"Stop stalling. I'm not going to force you to take off the mask. But now I want to know why you're so reluctant to do so," Orochimaru told him.

The hyper male stopped, wringing his hands as he turned to face his prince. "Well, the truth is that my family accused me of something terrible a while back and turned their backs on me. Others have probably heard them say bad things about me, so I wear the mask so that people won't recognize me and automatically shun me even more."

Orochimaru blinked, surprised by the usually childish being's reply. More questions arose in his mind as he thought the masked man's words over. "What exactly did they accuse you of?"

Tobi fidgeted again. He heard footsteps and peaked over his shoulder. He sighed in relief when he saw who it was.

Zetsu had two different skin colors that effectively split him down the middle. The skin on his right side was jet black and the skin on his left side was white. He had shaggy green hair and yellow eyes that were a shade or two lighter than Orochimaru's. He was wearing a light grey tank top and black pants. Both had dirt smudges staining them. He wiped his dirt covered hands off on his pants and came to a stop beside his assistant.

"Zetsu-san!" Tobi greeted him happily. "Do you need me to pull up any weeds or anything?"

"**No, Tobi,**" the gardener replied before turning his gaze back to the king's heir. "I just came over here because I was told to tell Prince Orochimaru that his friends are here," he continued, the sound of his voice now lighter and less gruff than before.

"Thank you, Zetsu," the pale skinned man said curtly as he began walking back to the castle, his curiosity about Tobi's past pushed to the back of his mind as it flooded with new questions. "Hmm, I wonder what this is about," he thought aloud as he reached one of the doors and walked inside. Usually, he'd assume that they were just there to talk or hang out or invite him out with them, or possibly to try and find a solution to their recent problem, but this time he had a premonition that caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end and sent a chill down his spine. He wasn't the superstitious type, but that didn't stop the bad feelings he had in the pit of his stomach as he asked Iwashi what room his friends were in.

His bad feelins were confirmed when he entered the room he'd been directed to. Tsunade was crying, her head held in her hands as sobs wracked her body. Jiraiya had an arm around her, trying his best to comfort her.

Orochimaru swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat and walked over, guiding Tsunade to one of the chairs in the room. He pulled another one closer so that Jiraiya could sit while still holding their friend before taking a seat himself. "What happened?" he inquired, a hint of concern tinting his voice.

"D-Dan, he-he's dead!" Tsunade wailed, lifting her head from her hands to allow her to be heard. Her eyes were red and swollen. She let her head fall back into her hands as another harsh sob tore from her throat. She leaned against Jiraiya for support.

"What?! How did he die? When did this happen?" Orochimaru asked, his topaz eyes widened with shock.

Tsunade was unable to speak as she bit her lip to suppress her light sobs, her body trembling intensely. Jiraiya gently rubbed her back, desperately trying to sooth her. "He was found dead early this morning with a gunshot wound to the chest," he said, turning his head to look at the black haired man as he spoke to him. His coal black eyes were soft with concern.

"Those bastards killed him! I know it!" Tsunade roared, finally sitting up as her body still shook and trembled from a mix of grief and rage. Her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes were bloodshot. Tears still leaked down her face as she clenched her jaw.

Jiraiya caught the questioning expression the prince gave him. "She thinks her parents did it," he explained.

"I don't think, I know! They want me to be the queen and Dan was in the way of that. They tried to get me to leave him, but I refused! Of course they killed him! They probably hired someone!" she snarled, wiping the tears from her face with her right arm.

Orochimaru frowned. _'This is all my fault,'_he whispered in thought as he watched Jiraiya try to calm their grief-stricken friend. He suddenly couldn't take being in the room. He got up and walked quickly out of the room, leaving his friends to mourn.

-ooo-

The raven haired man's feet padded lightly against the dirt road as he walked through town. He stared blankly into space, lost in his thoughts and not caring where exactly he was going.

_'Curse Tsunade's wretched parents for this crime against their daughter. Curse the advisers for betrothing us. Curse that damn old man for making me talk. Curse them all!'_he snarled in his head, subconsciously grinding his teeth in frustration. _'This is all their fault!'_ He let his jaw become slack once again and sighed. _'So why do I feel so horrible?'_

He felt something wet and cold hit his cheek. He tilted his head back as more fell to slide down his face. It was getting later, so the sky was naturally getting darker. The clouds had reached their limit and were now allowing their loads to fall to Earth. He brought his gaze back down to the road as drops of rain began to fall in sheets, causing a pattering sound as they pounded lightly against the ground. He gave a small sigh and continued walking, once again losing himself in his mind and not caring as he was soaked by the rain.

_'What am I going to do? I don't want to marry anyone, especially Tsunade. Grrr, maybe I should just go through with it. After all, it wouldn't exactly be the first time anyone married someone they're not attracted to in order to gain power.' _He noticed that his head was no longer being constantly rained on and blinked his golden eyes, bringing them to focus on the young man standing beside him and the umbrella that was now held above his head.

"Orochimaru-sama, what are you doing out here this late? Are you trying to get yourself sick?" the familiar silver haired male said, his tone a cross between chastisement and concern.

"I just needed to get out," the black haired man replied in a dull voice.

Kabuto frowned. "You don't seem like yourself today, my lord. Is there something troubling you?"

"A lot actually," he replied simply.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the medic told him softly.

They remained silent for a few moments, shielded from the rain that fell in torrents around them and simply listening to the light pattering sound it made against the ground and the umbrella.

Orochimaru sighed. "Why don't you head back to the castle. I'll be there soon enough. I just need a bit more time to think."

The silver haired man blinked in surprise. He opened his mouth to protest, but bit his lip. He was silent for a moment before nodding. "Very well, Orochimaru-same. But at least take the umbrella with you."

The prince glanced at the basket the medic was holding and shook his head. "I don't think that would be a good idea," he replied. "Besides, a sick medic isn't exactly a useful medic," he added with a smirk. He noticed the look of hesitation on the other's face. "Don't worry about me, Kabuto. A little rain isn't going to kill me."

Kabuto sighed before smiling. "As you wish, my lord," he said before walking off in the direction of the castle, leaving the king's heir to stand alone in the rain once again.

-ooo-

Rain continued to pour from above as Orochimaru came to a stop and looked up at the sky once again, allowing the drops of water to hit his face. He squinted to keep the water out of his topaz eyes as he stared at the nearly black expanse of clouds that blocked the moon and the stars from view. _'It's late,'_ he thought, noting how dark the sky was. "I guess it's time to head back," he whispered to himself. He heard a splashing sound and turned around. His gaze landed on a person wearing a dark, hooded robe.

The prince blinked in surprise. "Er, hello. Who are you?" he said as a feeling of uneasiness swept over him.

The hooded figure's left arm rose, revealing that it held a gun.

Amber eyes widened in shock and fear as the figure squeezed the trigger.

Orochimaru screamed in agony as he sunk to the ground. His hands flew to clutch his injured stomach, the wet fabric on his robe clinging to him even more as it began to become soaked with his warm, crimson blood.

The black haired man's mind practically burst from pain as a second shot rang out and struck him right below the ribcage. He screamed again as the pain temporarily blinded him. The prince heard the sound of splashing water once again and knew that his attacker had fled. He bit his lip to hold in his moans and screams as he tried to sit up, trying to see his wounds. A wave of intense pain washed over him from the movement. His teeth shredded the skin of his lip as his jaw flew open and a roar of agony ripped free of his throat.

He let himself fall back into a puddle as rain continued to smack against his body, mixing with his blood before running down and dying the small stream of water a deep, crimson red.

The prince desperately tried to hold his blood in with his hands, but it still seeped through his fingers. He pressed harder, but it only caused the blood to gush out even more. He began to feel faint, his mind reeling from the loss of blood. He vaguely noticed that a small crowd was beginning to gather around him, having heard his screams and becoming worried for their prince. He tossed his head in a vain attempt to clear his head.

"Prince Orochimaru!"

_'Was that Tenzo? No... Choza?'_

"What happened?!"

_'Kiba? I wonder how Akamaru's doing...'_

"It looks like a gun wound!"

_'Isn't that Iruka's girlfriend? What was her name again? Oh yeah, Tsubaki...'_

"Back up everyone! He needs room!"

_'...Kakashi... I need to get another book from his store...'_

"Hold on, Orochimaru-sama! You'll be fine. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you!"

_'Kabuto...?'_

* * *

_Well.... PLEASE REVIEW!!!_


	4. Chapter 4

Orochimaru groaned as a bright light assaulted his eye lids. He squeezed them tighter shut and tried to roll over, resulting in a terrible pain in his midsection. His eyes flew open as he cried out, hands moving to press against his stomach. He closed them tightly again and bit his lip to hold in a moan as another wave of pain washed over him.

"Orochimaru-sama! Please, settle back down," he heard as someone grabbed his hand and pulled it away from his stomach.

The dark haired man heeded to this request and relaxed his body, allowing it to go limp once again. He suppressed the urge to whine as the pain dulled down to a bad ache. He opened his topaz eyes again and turned them to look at the person who was lightly squeezing one of his hands in a reassuring manner. "Kabuto?"

The medic nodded. "Yes, my lord." He had a white mask on over his mouth while a light blue medical scrub covered his body. The bright lights above them made his hair shine a little. His obsidian eyes were soft and concerned.

The pale skinned man frowned and looked around, careful not to move anything but his neck. The walls of the room were white and he could see several medical beds, only one of which was occupied. It was then that he realized that he himself was lying on a medical bed as well. His lips pursed and his golden eyes narrowed as he strained to remember why he was in the hospital wing. His eyes widened back up when he finally recalled the shooting. "It's foggy, but I remember being shot. Am I going to be alright?"

Kabuto pulled his mask down and smiled. "Yes, thankfully I think you'll be just fine. It will take several months to heal, but I believe you'll make a full recovery."

Orochimaru smiled back. "That's good to know," he said before lowering his eyes in thought, going over the events that happened right before he had blacked out. "I remember taking a walk to get away," he said, recalling Dan's death and the reason he had left to begin with. "I also remember that it was raining and that I talked with you for a few minutes."

"I shouldn't have left you alone," the silver haired man interrupted, regret staining his voice.

The prince chuckled. "Oh, Kabuto, it's not your fault. I told you to leave. I'm your prince, so of course you obeyed," he said, bringing his eyes up to meet the medic's. "Besides, it's not like you could have prevented what happened."

Kabuto was silent for a moment before smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He glanced down and noticed that he was still holding the older male's hand. He released it and brought his own hand up to rub the back of his neck.

A smirk formed on the black haired man's face. "Of course I am," he said, finding the spectacled boy's embarrassment to be quite amusing. Even more so than usual as that particular person didn't get flustered often._ 'It's a bit of a shame he doesn't get embarrassed more often. He's adorable when he blushes.' _He blinked at that thought. _'You know, in a puppy kind of way...'_ He closed his topaz eyes as his thoughts returned to their original topic. "And then of course there was that hooded figure. I heard the gun go off and I remember feeling intense pain in my stomach. After that it gets really foggy," he said, trying to focus and recall more details. "I think I was shot again...'

"You were," Kabuto confirmed with a nod. "Right below the ribcage."

"I thought so," the prince replied. "Then I believe a crowd formed. A few people talked, but I can't recall any names." His brilliant yellow eyes blinked as one came to his mind. "I think I remember your voice though, Kabuto." His gaze met the medic's once again. "You saved my life, didn't you?"

"It's true that you very well might have bled to death had I not been there to stop the bleeding," the platinum haired man replied, keeping up the eye contact. "But your amazing willpower is what kept you alive during surgery and your trip back to the castle."

A chuckle escaped Orochimaru's throat. "Is that so?" he said with a smile. Just then another wave of pain hit him, making his eyelids to close tightly over his amber eyes and his jaw to clench. He growled and gritting his teeth as his body wreathed from the terrible sensation in his midsection, grabbing a fistful of the sheet beneath him in each hand to avoid clutching at the wounded area.

"Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto exclaimed in a worried tone. He snatched a cup of water and a small jar that was on the table next to the prince's bed and quickly sprinkled some of the powder in the jar into the water. He put the jar down and grabbed a spoon before stirring the powder into the water. "Here, drink this," he instructed. "It's something to take away the pain."

The dark haired man struggled to sit up. He was surprised when he felt the other male's arm against his back, lightly pushing him up. His topaz eyes slid open and watched as the silver haired boy brought the cup over and held it gently to his mouth. The prince parted his lips and allowed the bitter tasting medicine to pour into his mouth. He drank until the cup was empty, trusting that it would make him feel better, even as the pain in his abdomen got a little worse.

The medic put the cup back down on the table and carefully lowered the injured male back down to lay flat on the table. "Don't worry, Orochimaru-sama. You sustained an injury to the stomach. It wasn't very direct and I repaired most of the damage, but there will still be some discomfort when you eat or drink something," he told the prince in a soothing voice. "The pain should pass soon."

Sure enough, the pain soon faded away. "Ah, that's better," Orochimaru breathed happily, giving his servent a smile.

Kabuto returned it. "I'm happy to hear that, my lord." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his watch. "Hmm, it's a bit later than I thought," he said, placing the watch back into his pocket after checking the time. "But I guess that's okay, considering that you are now awake and have taken the pain killer. I should change your bandages now, Orochimaru-sama. May I?"

"Of course," the pale skinned man replied.

The silver haired man pulled down the blanket, revealing that the prince had been dressed in a thing, light purple robe. The medic untied the loosely knotted sash above his hips and set it on the table before opening the robe and uncovering the pale skinned man from the waist up. He quickly set about to removing the bandages that were wrapped around his lord's lower torso and midsection.

A chill ran up the golden eyed males spine when he felt the warm, feathery touch of Kabuto's fingers as they glided softly across his milky white skin, carefully tugging at the bandages to loosen them. He shivered again as the medic slid a hand beneath his back and pressed gently against it, silently telling him to lift himself up. He obeyed and arched his back, allowing his servant to pull the bandages out from beneath him. Once they were gone, the medic set about to examining the stitches.

Orochimaru lifted his head, propping himself up on his elbows a bit so that he could see the wound as well. "What exactly did you do during my surgery?" he inquired.

The silver haired boy turned his head and smiled. Being this close and with the lighting, the prince could see that the surgeon's eyes weren't just black, they had a bit of a dark platinum in them as well.

_'Like a silvery crescent moon shining in the night sky... no, more like reflected in inky black water,'_ the golden eyed man thought to himself. He came back to his present reality as the owner of those eyes traced a finger along the line of stitches on the left side of the bottom of his ribcage, sending another chill through his body.

"The bullet that hit you here went through your stomach before burying itself in your left kidney. We were able to mend your stomach, but the kidney had to be removed. Don't worry about it though, my lord. People live just fine with only one," the medic explained, still smiling.

A small frown graced the pale skinned man's face. "If that one hit me in the actual stomach, then what about the one in the area that others usually call the stomach region?"

"Here's a fun fact for you, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said cheerfully as he gently pressed a finger against his master's ribs. "Most organs are actually contained within the ribcage, where they're better protected."

"That would make sense," the injured male commented, finding this information quite interesting. The medical field had always been a bit of a fascination for him, but he'd never really gotten a chance to really explore it. "I don't know why I didn't think of it myself."

The younger male gave a short laugh before continuing. "Meanwhile, the area that most people assume holds the stomach and several other organs is almost completely filled by the large and small intestine, which is where the second shot hit you," he said, gliding his hand over the prince's abs to indicate the area he was talking about.

Orochimaru suppressed the shivers that ran through his body at his servant's movements. "I wonder why people started calling the midsection the stomach to begin with. Hmm, perhaps it was because of the minor pain experienced in the area it you're hungry or you've eaten too much," he said, mostly trying to distract himself from wondering why the medic's actions had such an effect on him.

Kabuto straightened back up and shrugged. "Yeah, that's most likely what happened. Anyway, your stitches are doing good. I'm going to put a fresh bandage on and then let you rest a bit."

The prince simply nodded and retreated into his thoughts as the medic began to re-wrap his wounds. _'What is with all of these strange feelings? What is it about him that fascinates me so... Why is it that the slightest touch of his fingers can trigger such intense reactions in me? Think...' _His eyes widened a bit as a possibility came to him. Something Jiraiya had told him about so many times before. Something he had heard the servants talk about from time to time. _'No, it's not possible... I can't possibly be attracted to him! Then again, I've never been interested in any female... this could explain that. And relationships between males do exist, no matter how frowned upon they are. But still, I'm a prince! Royalty should be a certain way and this certainly doesn't fit the mold!'_He lifted his back again as Kabuto slid the bandage under him, taking a quick glance at the medic's face as he did so. _'But if it's not true, then why does he captivate me so?'_

Kabuto was soon finished with his task, smiling at his lord as he finished binding the wounds. "There we go. Now, try to rest. You've been through quite a frightening and confusing experience," he said before turning to leave the room.

Ocorhimaru turned his head away, trying not to look at the medic's retreating form. He heard the door close and let a sigh escape his lips. "And you only know half of them..."


End file.
